Improvement in animal-traps



s. FmsrE a. H. C. HART.

lmfp'roxvementl in Animal Traps..

No. 125,449. PatentedAprnQnsn.

:UNITEjn STATES PATENT @Teton IMPROVEMENT IN ANIMAL-TRAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,449, dated April 9,1872; antedated March 25,18772.

To all uhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL FRISBIE and HUBERT C. HART, of Unionville,in the county of Hartford and State ot' Connecticut, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Traps, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our improvement consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement ofthe spring and latch, as herein described.

1n the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a top View of a trap embodyingour invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations ot' the same. f

The position of the parts when the trap is set is shown in Figs. l and2, and their position when sprung is shown in Fig. 3.

A A designate j aws otl ordinary form, which are hung in the usualmanner in the frame B.

The ordinary pan C is hung upon the stud a, and attached to the frame B.l) designates the spring', .which has an opening, b, near one end,through which the jaws A A and latch d are passed, the spring operatingto close the jaws as in the ordinary trap. inside ofthe jaws A A and theopening b is another opening,

c, through which the frame B and pan C are passed, and one end of thespring D secured to the under side ot' the frame B. Immediately belowand centrally with the hinges ot' the jaws A A, the latch d is hung orhinged to the frame B. The opening c ot' the spring D is so large as toallow the pan C to operate freely therein, and the portion ot' saidspring between the openin gs c and b forms a bar, f, Fig. l, over whichthe latch d passes and engages with the notch d (Fig. 3) in the pan C,and thereby holds the spring D depressed, so that the jaws A A may bethrown open and the trap set, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As in theordinary trap the depression of the pan C will release the latch d andspring D, and close the jaws, as shown in Fig. 3. The portion ot' thespring on the sides of the opening o is widened so as to give it therequisite strength, and also when the spring is secured to the underside of the frame B, as shown, to form a support for the trap to reston, causing it to stand iirm without any inclination to tip from side toside. It will also be observed that, placing the spring under the frameso that it forms the base near the center ot' the trap, it will have thetendency, when sprung, to throw the whole trap upward toward the animalwhich springs it, and therefore give greater surety of grasping theanimal with a trm hold than does the ordinary trap. lt desired, thespring D might be secured to the top ot' the frame B, when the pan wouldbe passed through the opening c, and operate, in connection with thelatch and spring, in the manner described; but it is preferable to passthe frame through the spring' and secure it 011 the under side thereof,as shown, whereby it forms the base ot' the trap. ln order to secure thespring to the under side of the frame, the parts maybe reversed bywidenin g the frame and providing it with an opening, when the springwould be passed through the frame and secured, substantially as bet'oredescribed. By our improvement the spring, which in most traps performs asingle otiice only, is made to perform four distinct offices-viz., tooperate the jaws, to form the bar over which the latch passes insetting, to form a base for the trap to rest upon, and to throw the trapupward, as before described.

We claim as our inventionl. The improved construction of the spring D,provided with the opening c, through which the pan C is arranged tooperate, in the manner described.

2. The combination and arrangement of the latch d and the bar f formedon the spring D, connected and operating with the other parts of thetrap, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A trap in which the spring D is fastened to the frame B upon theunder side of said frame, by means of passing the frame B through theopening c in the widened spring D, or vice versa, all substantially asand for the purpose described.

SAMUEL FRISBIE.

Witnesses: HUBERT C. HART.

HENRY N. HATCH, W. W. PINNEY.

